Tuesday, March 18, 2008

The 10 Deadly Sins of an Affiliate Marketing Article

At this point in time there is not an online entrepreneur left who does not recognize the immense power and promise that the use of an affiliate marketing article offers. Sure, text links and banner ads are great, but when it comes to creating the kind of advertising vehicle that consumers will hold on to and even pass on to others, you cannot beat article marketing! Of course, like any other good thing there are pitfalls to avoid.

As a matter of fact, the 10 deadly sins of an affiliate marketing article must be avoided at all cost, lest your company’s reputation will suffer!

1. Whatever you do with your affiliate marketing article, do not use it to spam a blog or a forum. Some self proclaimed marketers have attempted to use such articles as forum posts and while they might write different introductions for the article to make it look like an ad hoc posting in response to another forum poster, within a few short sentences it becomes painfully obvious that the post is little more than an unwelcome sales pitch.

2. Unless you are a seasoned wordsmith, have your affiliate marketing article ghostwritten. The sheer volume of badly written articles – be it diction, grammar, or punctuation – is legion and there is little more embarrassing than having your customers point out a number of mistakes and error.

3. Fact-check your articles. This is vital when you use statistical data but also quotes.

4. Keep it pithy. 400 to 500 words are more than sufficient to write a worthwhile piece of non fiction to market your company, good, or service. Exceeding the 800 word count is pushing it.

5. Do not put all of your advertising eggs in one basket but instead commission (if you use a ghostwriter) a number of articles that look at the topic and product form a number of different angles. This puts volume behind your marketing campaign and while one approach may not appeal to your readers, another one might have just the hook you need to get the reader to turn into a buyer.

6. Do not overdo the pitch in your affiliate marketing article. Sure, you want everyone to know that your products and company at the cat’s meow, but unless you tempter substance with advertising, you will not find too many readers.

7. Advertise one thing only per article. Choose your product, your company, or an email newsletter you are offering for free. Cutting down on the things marketed permit for the development of a great strategy throughout the article.

8. Forgetting to include an opt-in link to your mailing list or email newsletter subscription database is perhaps the most egregious of the 10 deadly sins of an affiliate marketing article. Each article that is not offering that option simply is not working hard enough for you!

9. Having too many articles that differ in tone. While some articles may lend themselves to be spunky but intellectual, the failure to have your article ghostwritten by one writer will lead to a number of different skill levels to craft your work. Instead, request that one freelancer be given the assignment to make sure the tone remains similar.

10. Last but not least, cutting and pasting freely available material from the Internet is a deadly sin that might not get you in trouble, but it will show that your company has nothing new to offer. This is not the impression you want your clientele to have of you, your product, or the company you represent!

Labels: Internet Profits

Recommended: Plug-In Profit Site - Complete Money Making Site Setup FREE!

Plug-In Profit Site
"I was a washed up restaurant worker desperately searching for a way to save my family when I discovered the Internet and affiliate marketing... 24 months later I finally cracked the code and started earning over $10,000.00 per month... Now the same system that saved me is available to you!" [click here to learn more...]

Leisure Audio Books
"Imagine... high commissions, solid product, multiple niche markets, AND a very simple system! It's a crying shame for you not to make higher commissions when so many people do it so easily..." [click here to learn more....]

Success University
"Who else wants to learn EXACTLY how our affiliates earn over $100,000 a month using a simple step-by-step formula? If your answer is "Yes", I'll give you a FREE 14-Day "Test Drive" of our system to PROVE this is the Quickest & Easiest way for you to begin making money online..." [click here to learn more...]

Empowerism
"It's time to put your NetMarketing business on FAST FORWARD with ALL of the tools and training you need to become a SUCCESS on the Internet! All this in a nice, tidy package that's affordable to the masses and pays out a five-figure income! Others have tried it. Empowerism has perfected it..." [click here to learn more...]

SFI Marketing Group
"Earn up to $100 per hour with your own home business. Join for FREE! Millions of people all over the world are making money online. With just a computer and a few hours a week, you can too!" [click here to learn more...]

Host4Profit
"Sooner or later everyone realizes that they must have their own domain name. However, who you get to host that domain makes all the difference in the world. Most hosts simply provide you with space and that's that. You're on your own when it comes to making your new site profitable. Host4Profit.com has changed all that. We turn a necessity into a profit machine." [click here to learn more...]

Leisure Audio Books is working for me as I write!

I recently became a member of Leisure Audio Books, and I want to share my humble opinion with you today.

This is like nothing I have ever experienced before, I was shocked to find that is totally unique, never seen before, and I believe it to be revolutionary, and I'll explain why.

In my past experience, you join a typical program, they give you some cheesy promo tools, and they never say a word to you, they just expect you to go out and recruit as best you can on your own...

This is totally and utterly different.

First of all, the products rock, there's a huge selection of topics on virtually any niche you can think of... all delivered in licenced .wma or Real format, so anyone with a computer, an iPod, or mp3 player can instantly enjoy these fine audio books, at their leisure...

Second, you don't have to recruit, to earn nice money, you can simply sell these real products to real people, and they will be glad to have them to listen to...

Third, the commissions you can earn, are much higher than normal, and I really like that.

Fourth, it's so easy to set up a website and dominate any niche you choose, because the training is so good, it makes it easy to get started right away.

Fifth, I don't have any of the order filling problems, of offering a real product, Leisure Audio Books, has it handled, for me. Lucky me;~)

With Leisure Audio Books, I feel at completely at ease offering anyone hi quality hi fidelity products and the diversity is astounding! They have over 6000 titles meticulously sorted into 160 categories in a feature- packed store.

I had no idea know that there are at least 50,000 identifiable niche markets that can be independently addressed in the search engines for audio books! I do know now and I am out there selling... and for the first time it is working!!!

Plus it's a huge relief to have the experts, Rod and Kevin helping me succeed, I almost feel like I have a huge "cheat" over everyone else, because I'm a part of a caring organization, who really coach, and really train, and really want me, and you, to succeed, no matter what the skill level.

So, I would have to sum it up like this, if you're tired of an endless line of hype, smoke and mirrors, and you'd like to gain traction, start making a financial difference in your family's lifestyle, and have a legitimate, honest, real way to make money online...you owe it to yourself to check out Leisure Audio Books.

Don't believe me, I'm a happy member, and of course I'm biased, so do a check on Rod and Kevin, and I'm sure you'll find the truth is that they are for real, and these are great products that virtually sell themselves.

I recommend that you see for yourself - GO RIGHT NOW, and take in the information presented on the website: http://22563.leisureaudiosales.com

Note: You have permission to re-publish this review on your own website or newsletter.

Make the Leap to Affiliate Marketing Success by Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy

If you are going to become a successful affiliate on the Internet, you need 3 "intangibles." These are things that must come from WITHIN you.

===> Intangible 1 <===

First, you must have a strong WHY.

Why must you make affiliate marketing work? What is driving you? What is it that you CAN'T have in your life anymore and/or what is it that you absolutely MUST HAVE now?

For me, I couldn't stand working 12+ hours a day anymore and missing the experience of my children growing up. I also absolutely HAD TO HAVE the freedom of being able to control my life and finances through a little box that I could carry with me anywhere in the world and not be tied to anyone's time pressures or demands but my own. That was my carrot and my stick. I felt a great pain deep in my gut of missing out on my children's lives and the incredible freedom that succeeding in this business would provide for me. I found my why. You MUST find yours.

===> Intangible 2 <===

You must BELIEVE that it is possible.

If you don't believe that it's POSSIBLE for you to make money with affiliate programs or make your living on the Internet, you won't. It's that simple.

For me, figuring out that it was possible was just a matter of realizing that many other people were ALREADY making great money online. If they could do it, I could too. It would just be a matter of figuring out what those people were doing and then adapting it to my situation.

There is no shortage of undeniable PROOF that people (millions of them) are making money online with affiliate programs. Just get online and do some research and you'll find countless testimonials and stories of REAL PEOPLE making real money on the Internet. Or head to your local bookstore and you'll find the same documented evidence of this fact. Truth is, it's getting easier and easier to make money online with affiliate programs.

I've always said that "affiliate marketing" is the job of the future. In the "old" days, you had to go to a potential employer, apply for the position and hope for the best. Now you can simply go to any company you want, fill out their affiliate application and start work immediately. Affiliates are the new working class. Believe me, making money with affiliate programs or making your living on the Internet is WAY MORE than possible. It is pretty much (or will be soon enough) unavoidable now. Affiliate marketing is the "job" of the future that's already here TODAY.

===> Intangible 3 <===

You must be willing to MAKE THE LEAP.

Ready, FIRE, then aim... This is the operating philosophy you MUST adopt to succeed with affiliate marketing.

That's backwards for most people who like to aim before they fire. The fact is the Internet is a moving target... The only thing constant about it is change. You need to stop analyzing the game and simply jump into it. You can't learn from the outside... You have to be IN THE RING to truly understand it.

The lesson here is that you will never really be READY to start an affiliate marketing business. You simply have to start one. This is what I call "Making the Leap."

The good news is that the cost of failure on the Internet is very small. In the "brick and mortar" world you need to evaluate things very carefully before you decide to open up a business. It's almost always necessary to invest thousands of dollars to get an offline business off the ground. However, on the Internet you can often start a successful business for less than $100. The Plug-In Profit Site is a great example of this.

You simply need get IN THE GAME... Each moment that you stay "out there," you're wasting valuable time that you could be learning and skills necessary to become a successful affiliate marketer. In fact, if you're not in the game yet, you're ALREADY behind the times. Make the leap to becoming a successful affiliate marketer today!

Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy helps ordinary people all over the world make money online with affiliate programs. If you can follow 3 easy steps, you can get your own custom website, autoresponder (email follow-up software) and pre-written email marketing campaign professionally designed and installed and ready to pull in profits for you in 24 hours or less! See details at: http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-20764

Note: You have permission to re-publish this article on your own website or newsletter.

Subscribe to our FREE home business tips newsletter and get hundreds of money making tips and tricks delivered to your inbox. A $147 value, yours FREE! Enter your first name and email address in the form below and click "FREE Signup!"